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Photograph of Black-Bellied and White-Faced Whistling-Ducks from North Carolina, with Comments on Other Extralimital Waterfowl

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Photograph of Black-Bellied and White-Faced Whistling-Ducks from North Carolina, with Comments on Other Extralimital Waterfowl The Chat, Vol. 64, No.3, Summer 2000 Photograph of Black-bellied and White-faced Whistling-Ducks from North Carolina, With Comments on Other Extralimital Waterfowl David S. Lee North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences P. O. Box 29555 . Raleigh, North Carolina 27626 The staff of the Pine Island Hunt Club, a sanctuary of the National Audubon Society, provided me with a photograph of a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and White-faced Whistling-Duck (D. viduata) taken in April 1998 on their property near Duck, Currituck County ,North Carolina. The birds were free-flying, apparently traveling together, and remained in the vicinity of the club's waterfowl feeding area for several days. This photograph constitutes the second North Carolina State Museum record for a Black-bellied Whistling- Duck and the frrst ofa White-faced Whistling-Duck from the state (NCSM photo collection No. 556). The origin of these ducks is unknown, but the long-range dispersal of waterfowl in the genus Dendrocygna, in particular, is well documented. Although the records reported herein have not been reviewed by the North Carolina Bird Records Committee, the origin of these birds, rather than their identification, is the issue. The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ranges through much of northern and eastern South America and most of Middle America north to southern Arizona, central and southeastern Texas, and southwestern Louisiana. This duck occurs casually in the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas (A.O.U. 1998). There is a recent unpublished photograph from the Bahamas (27 September 1998, Hog Cay, Long Island; A. White, pers. comm.). The species has become well established in Cuba (Raffaele et al. 1998) and central and southern Florida (Roberson and Woolfenden 1992; Field Notes 52:49-50). The only other North Carolina State Museum record for this species in North Carolina is of a bird collected by Eugene Pond on 15 February 1968. The specimen was shot in Core Sound, near Stacy, Carteret County (NCSM 2910; Lee 1981). At the time this was one of the few records of this duck from east of the Mississippi, and I then concluded that the individual in question was probably an escaped captive, although the specimen showed no sign of having been in captivity. Numerous recent records from eastern North America indicate the species is showing up regularly as a naturally occurring vagrant, and it is likely that both this earlier record and the one reported here are of wild birds. The species' increase in occurrence in the East is probably a result of the expanding population in Cuba and Florida. This duck is partly migratory at the northern limits of its range, and the migratory behavior would appear to be responsible for its regular extralimital occurrence. The A.O.u. (1998) recognized reports from the southeastern and central Atlantic states to be those of natural occurrence, and other states in the Southeast are regarding birds encountered as being of wild origin. Black-bellied and White-faced Whistling-Ducks in NC The issue in eastern North Carolina is currently clouded because of local waterfowl breeders who raise, among other species, Black-bellied Whistling- Ducks. At least one person has a collection from which the ducks were not pinioned or banded and individuals had escaped. This escape apparently occurred after the April 1998 photograph cited above, but before the finding of a Black- bellied Whistling-Duck in the winter of 1998-99 at Wanchese, Dare County, NC. Because of this escape of waterfowl, both reports should be regarded with suspicion in regard to natural occurrence. This combination of facts available, however, is precisely what needs to be documented regarding the expanding population of free-ranging ducks and escaped captives of this species in the region. Considering the potential long-range movements of escaped captives, geographic proximity of sightings of free-ranging birds and points of escape are not necessarily related. In this hemisphere the White-faced Whistling-Duck occurs primarily in South America and southern Central America (A.O.U. 1998). It was also recorded as occurring casually in the past from the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles (Hispaniola, Cuba, and Barbados; Raffaele et al. 1998). I am aware of only one other report form North America: In 1912 the species was reported from Hackensack, New Jersey (Grinnell1913). Whether the absence of other reports from North America represents a lack of occurrence, or a lack of reporting because of an assumption that these ducks are escaped captives, is unclear. As in the case of most extralimital records of waterfowl, escaped captives should not be ruled out as the source of this record, but the documented casual northward dispersal of White-faced Whistling-Ducks into the Greater Antilles suggests that the North Carolina bird could be of an individual of wild origin. This species is not recognized as occurring in North America by the A.O.U (1998), and there is little point in advocating or refuting either North American record as being of a wild bird. Other problematic species of waterfowl recorded from North Carolina include: Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis): There are five historic records from North Carolina (Pearson et al. 1959). Two are from Currituck Sound (31 October 1870, 22 November 1992); two are from Pea Island, Dare County (24 November 1925,6 November 1949); and one is from "Gaddy's Pond," near Ansonville, Anson County (28 December 1950 [original notes of Brimley say 6-13 November 1949,20 and 28 November 1949, and 3 December 1949, Rhett Chamberlain]). Additionally an individual was present at Pea Island from 7-13 November 1970 (Am. Birds 25 :563). Although it is quite likely that some of these reports represent escapes from captivity, there is little doubt that most North American reports represent wild birds that presumably originated in Greenland. Szantyr (1985) has shown that the seasonal timing and peak of occurrence of NorthAmericanrecords are consistent with those of migrant and wintering individuals. The A.O.U. (1998) considered many records from the eastern United States to be of natural vagrants. Baikal Teal (Anas formosa): Sykes (1962) provided an account and description (including the photograph of the specimen) of one of these teal killed at the Swan Island Club, in Currituck County, 9 December 1912. He presented reasons why he did not believe the bird to be an escaped individual. The A.O.U (1998) noted that birds that had been reported from Colorado, Oklahoma, Ohio, The Chat, Vol. 64, No.3, Summer 2000 Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Europe may be escaped individuals. Green-winged (European) Teal (Anas crecca crecca): A specimen of an adult male shot on Currituck Sound on 7 December 1926 is in the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences (Huber 1927). (The nominate taxonis the European race of our Green-winged Teal.) Anas c. crecca occurs regularly, although not commonly, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (see Fussell 1994), and there are many records from elsewhere in the region (New England, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and South Carolina). These individuals are considered to be naturally-occurring migrants (A.O.U. 1931, 1958). Falcated Duck (Anas falcata): Platania (1978) reported a specimen taken from the Davis impoundment in the winter of December 1974-75 (NCSM 4503). The poor health of the bird makes a wild origin seem questionable, and there are few reports of individuals from North America. The A.O.u. (1998) considered birds reported from Virginia, North Carolina, and Europe almost certainly to be escaped captives. Garganey (Anas querquedula): Gustafson (1957) reports a record of this teal from Hatteras, Dare County. At the time ofthe report it was the first for this hemisphere. It was present from 21 to 31 March 1957 (Chamberlain 1957). The A.O.U. (1998) considered the North Carolina record to be of a naturally occurring bird. This is based largely on a substantial number of regional records (primarily March-April) that have surfaced since the frrst, and as of early 1999 the only, North Carolina report. Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica): Simpson (1971) reviewed the five available records of this species from the state and concluded that three were invalid, one extant specimen lacked supporting details, and the remaining one, while probably valid, was not confirmed with a specimen. In view of this, the interpretation of records of Barrow's Goldeneye from North Carolina regarding the nature of their origin is irrelevant. The A.O.U. (1998), however, considered the western North Carolina report (of Cairns; see Simpson 1971), as well as one from South Carolina to be valid and of wild birds. The A.O.U. Checklist Committee was unaware of Simpson's (1971) review, and the inclusion of the North Carolina record as a wild bird is an oversight (lV. Remsen, pers. comm.) Ruddy Shelduck(Tadornaferruginea): One ofa flock of five was shot near Waterlily, Currituck County, in 1886, and another flock was seen some years later at the same location (Grinnell1919). The A.O.U. (1983) considered this report to be erroneous. Eugene Pond (4 December 1967) stated in a letter that Major Couch of Cherry Point has a mounted specimen of one he killed in Hyde County, North Carolina. I have seen photographs of mounts of birds shot in coastal North Carolina in the 1980s, but no specific information as to their source was available. The A.0.U. (1998) placed this duck in an appendix of species with insufficient evidence for inclusion on the North American list, and North American records are considered probable escapes from captivity. It appears that a feral population is becoming established in Montana (Field Notes 52:80) Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna): Two males were present from 2 to 5 July 1972 on the North Pond at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Dare County (Am.
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